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tm
N u S o u n d
Real Digitized Sounds for Your Current Software!
NuSound(tm) User's Guide
Software, Guide, Cartoon, and Logos are
Copyright (c) 1987-1992 by Baggs Technologies.
All Rights Reserved.
What Is NuSound?
- NuSound replaces the DOS bell (beep) with real digitized
sounds, played through your PC's internal speaker (no extra
hardware required).
- In the 'advanced' mode, NuSound will replace ANY sound made
by your DOS programs with the digitized sound of your choice.
NuSound is the ONLY sound program with this feature!
- You may also play the sounds from within your batch files or
from the command line.
- NuSound gives you a library of more than 25, high-quality,
digitized sounds and words. These sounds are in the .WAV
format so you can use them in Windows 3.1 too.
- NuSound plays Microsoft Windows .WAV sounds in DOS. You get an
easy-to-use point-and-shoot program to view and hear the sounds.
- NuSound works on just about any PC - from 486's down to
8088-based XT's (which are largely ignored by other sound
players)!
In short - NuSound brings multimedia-quality sound to your PC
and existing software - with NO EXTRA HARDWARE NEEDED!
About NuSound
Since the introduction of the IBM PC and compatibles, the sound
circuitry provided with these machines has been universally
panned - and rightfully so. The designers of the original PC
obviously did not put much emphasis on the quality reproduction
of sound. The result is that for years we have been subjected to
the infamous BIOS 'beep' - a raucous, obnoxious tone lasting
nearly a full second in duration!
Meanwhile, users of the Apple Macintosh were treated with a
little more respect. The Mac allows the user to change the
audible warning tone to one of several different sounds - thus
allowing customization and even a little fun.
And now - for the first time on a PC (drum roll please...) -
Baggs Technologies presents NuSound (otherwise known as "The End
of the Obnoxious Beep"). NuSound lets you replace the standard
DOS 'beep' with a variety of other sounds. Baggs Technologies
has been a leader in the field of sound reproduction on personal
and home computers (anyone remember the Commodore 64?) and we
have endowed NuSound with our latest breakthrough technology.
NuSound plays real digitized sounds through your PC's internal
speaker - without any extra hardware!
Using NuSound
INSTALLING NUSOUND: OK, you're probably eager to plunge right
in and say goodbye to those awful beeps, rattles, and buzzes!
Just make a directory for nusound.com and associated sound files
(they have a '.wav' extension). Call it, say, NUSOUND. Copy all
NuSound files into this directory. Change into this directory and
type the following line:
NUSOUND /R
You should see the message acknowledging that NuSound is
installed (the default sound is a 'boing'). That's it! NuSound
will now intercept any DOS 'beeps' and replace them with the new
sound. You will probably want to add the following lines to your
autoexec.bat file so that NuSound is installed automatically
every time you boot up (assuming your NuSound directory is
C:\NUSOUND):
CD C:\NUSOUND
NUSOUND /R
You can also playback the sound any time by pressing the hot-key,
<Alt-S>, so you don't need to wait for a program to generate a
beep. When used as above, NuSound is a TSR (Terminate and Stay
Resident) program that will remain in your PC's memory (until you
reboot) intercepting the BIOS beep and replacing it with the digitized
sound you choose.
NuSound Options
Right about now you've probably installed NuSound, hit the hot-
key a few times for amusement, and you're wondering things like
"How do I choose another sound?", and "What if I want to replace
the other obnoxious sounds that some programs generate - sounds
that obviously aren't the DOS beep?". We'll answer these
questions and other mysteries of the universe right now.
You can invoke NuSound with various options with the
following command:
NUSOUND [FILENAME] [/A] [/A2] [/R] [S:n] [V:n] [/?] [/Q] [/U]
OPTIONS:
[FILENAME]
NuSound will play the sound
specified by FILENAME (type
the full name and extension).
Example:
NUSOUND TONE.WAV
If the sound file is in a directory
other than the current one, type
the drive letter and full path for
the sound file.
Example:
NUSOUND C:\NUSOUND\TONE.WAV
/A Advanced mode - replace all
sounds. Some programs generate
their own sounds, bypassing the
standard 'beep'. To get NuSound
to intercept these types of
sounds, use this option. NOTE:
Test your programs first when
using this option to ensure
everything works OK. This
option plays some heavy hardware
'tricks' with your PC - not for
the sqeamish! However, we have
tested this option and found it
to be compatible with most
popular PC software.
NOTE: Not recommended for XT's and
slower PC's. Works best with 20Mhz
386's and faster.
/A2 Advance Mode 2 - as with Advanced
mode (above), replaces all sounds.
If /A does not work, try this one.
The notes for /A (above) also apply
to this mode.
/R Resident mode - When NuSound is run
with this option it will remain in
memory as a Terminate & Stay Resident
(TSR) program and replace the DOS
beep with the sound specified by
FILENAME (see above). Note that only
the DOS beep is replaced. To replace
other sounds (such as sounds generated
within an application) you must also
use one of the /A options (above).
/Q Quit, Uninstall and remove from
memory. (Use either /Q or /U)
/S:n Speed Selection. The value n is
a delay value, so larger n
values slow down the playback
rate. For example, a good value
for n for a 20Mhz 386 is about 70.
Generally, you should not need
to specify this value - NuSound
automatically determines the
speed of your PC and attempts to
set the standard playback speed.
However, if your PC seems to be
playing sounds too fast or slow,
try modifying this value.
/V:n Volume. The value n may be from 1-10.
The default is around 4.
/? Display Help Screen. Does not
install (i.e. does not remain
resident).
When NuSound is Memory-Resident
Since NuSound is a memory-resident program (when invoked with
/R , see above) it will use up a small amount of your PC's
conventional memory. The amount of memory used depends on the
size of the sound file loaded. NuSound will occupy around 2K
plus the size of the sound file. If, after loading NuSound, you
find that you cant't run an application for lack of DOS memory,
try using a smaller sound file. Also note that if you want to
change a setting or use a different sound file, first unload
NuSound from memory and then reload with the new options. If any
of the preceding jargon has thrown you for a loop - relax - just
find the nearest power user (there's one in every crowd) and ask
for help. NOTE: You can also save DOS memory by loading NuSound
in 'high memory' using 386Max, QEMM386, or other similar program.
Other People's Sound Files
Even though NuSound comes replete with a veritable plethora of
sounds, we know you may have some sound files of your own that
you would like to use with NuSound. Generally, NuSound can
handle other types of sound files as long as they are 11Khz, 8-
bit unsigned, uncompressed data. Whew! Now if you didn't
understand what we just said - forget about it! You'll be just
fine.
Making Your PC Louder
NuSound is designed to playback real digitized sounds through
your PC's internal speaker - no extra hardware required!
Unfortunately, not all PC's are created equal. If NuSound is
not loud enough on your PC, a trip to your local Radio Shack can
remedy the problem. You need: 1) the 'Mini-Amplifier-Speaker'
and 2) a cable with a 1/8" phone plug on one end (plugs into
Mini-Amp) and two 'alligator' clips on the other end. Remove the
cover from your PC (feel free to ask your local 'power user' for
help) and locate the speaker (Boy, is it wimpy!). Connect each
of the two alligator clips to the leads of the speaker. You
should now be able play sounds and hear them through the 'Mini-
Amp'. Reassemble your PC, place the 'Mini-Amp' in a convenient
spot, and adjust the volume to your taste.
NEWS FLASH - some cases, such as some mini-tower cases, bury
the speaker deep inside the case. In this case (pun intended)
you can pull the speaker out of the case (you may need to
'splice' some longer wire) and locate the speaker near you. With
this technique, you don't need to spend any $$$.
Microsoft Windows
Since NuSound runs under 'standard' DOS, it generally has no
effect in Windows unless, of course, you are running a DOS
window.
When running NuSound (either from the command line, batch
file, or as a TSR) from within a DOS window (that is not in
exclusive, full-screen mode) you should probably specify the
playback speed explicitly with the /S option.
Since the sounds provided with NuSound are ".WAV" files,
you can use them from within Windows (using Windows drivers).
Some of the usual uses are linking different sounds to certain
system events, adding a voice annotation to a spreadsheet, etc.
See your Windows documentation for details.
If you are interested in hearing about the nifty Windows
sound products we offer - call us, write us, or tell us in the
"comments" section of your registration (below) and we'll zip you
a catalog.
"Point-and-Shoot" Playback
We include a program called SETUP.EXE to let you easily view and
listen to the sounds. From within your NuSound directory, type:
SETUP
and hit <Enter>. (Please ignore the "Install" menu option. It's
intended for the diskette-based version.) Select the "Choose a
Sound" option. You should see a window showing the sound files.
Move the highlighted bar around with the cursor keys and hit
<Enter> the hear the highlighted sound. (Users with monochrome
screens may have to adjust the contrast and brightness to see the
highlight.) Exit at any time by pressing <Esc>.
If you are using NuSound in resident mode (to replace the
'beep') you can choose a different sound and have setup
automatically update your autoexec.bat file. From the "Choose a
Sound" option, find the sound you want, then hit <F10> to update
your autoexec.bat file with the new sound.
QEMM-386 and 386Max
If you are using NuSound (in resident mode) with a memory manager
such as QEMM-386 or 386Max (and are loading NuSound into 'high'
memory), these programs typically specify a size for the resident
program. If you select a new sound to replace the beep at a later
point in time, NuSound's resident size will change (dependent on
the size of the sound file). Therefore, it may be necessary to
rerun the 'optimize' (optimize, maximize, etc.) program that came
with your memory manager. See your memory manager documentation
for details.
Legaleze (a.k.a. The License Agreement)
This software is distributed as Shareware. You may use the
software for a limited evaluation period after which you should
register (see below) to continue use, or stop using the software.
You may copy and distribute the software - in fact, we encourage
you to do so. Note that this software is not public domain, and we
retain all copyrights and trademarks. The software may not be
reverse-engineered or disassembled in any way. Violators will be
prosecuted. Baggs Technologies disclaims liability for any
damages arising from the use of this product.
Our Commitment
Baggs Technologies is committed to providing "No-Extra-Hardware-
Needed" multimedia products to the PC. If you enjoy this product
please help us continue to bring you more by registering. See the
'Registration' section below.
tm
Look for these other fun "No-Extra-Hardware-Needed" multimedia
products on your favorite BBS:
tm
PC Talker For Windows 3.x! PC Talker is a text-to-speech
program - just type any text and PC Talker will say
it through your PC's speaker. Or have PC Talker speak
from a text file or even use in your batch files.
Since PC Talker's vocabulary is virtually unlimited
it can say anything: your name, your company's name,
email, phone numbers - use your imagination!
tm
AskTut For Windows 3.x! Ask Tut 'yes-or-no' type questions
and he will give you his answer. Like having your
own personal psychic or "executive decision maker".
Full color graphics and high quality voice responses!
Registration
If, after the initial evaluation, you continue to use NuSound, please
register by sending $20 to the address below. In fact, please allow
us to tell you about the Joys of Registering:
- You get product update information.
- You get cheerful technical support.
- You get notified of new product releases.
- We create more neat programs for you!
NAME ____________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS ____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
PHONE ____________________________________________________________________
COMMENTS____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Send to: Baggs Technologies
P.O. Box 1827
Fort Collins, CO 80522